Mumbai court allows use of 'secondary evidence' in Malegaon blasts trial

Mumbai: The special court for NIA cases here on Monday allowed the prosecution to rely on 'secondary evidence' in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, as some of the important documents were not available with the investigating agency.

"The court allowed us to lead with secondary evidence," special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal said.

NIA told the court that statements of some of the witnesses and some confessional statements were untraceable.

With the court allowing use of secondary evidence, the prosecution can now rely on copies available with the defence lawyers and the court registry when citing these statements, Rasal said.

Twin blasts at Malegaon in North Maharashtra on September 29, 2008, killed seven people and injured around 100 others.